The Swans head to Melbourne desperate for a win when they take on the struggling Kangaroos at Marvel.

Match details

• Who: North Melbourne Kangaroos vs Sydney Swans
• When: Saturday 20 May, 1.45pm
• Where: Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
• Weather: indoors
• Click here to buy tickets
• Head-to-head record since 1980: Played 69. Swans 35 wins. Kangaroos 33 wins. 1 draw

Teams

Swans

IN: Dylan Stephens, Lachlan McAndrew, Peter Ladhams

OUT: Callum Mills (injured), Logan McDonald (injured), Marc Sheather (injured), Tom Hickey (injured)

The Swans injury woes continue with Mills and McDonald set to miss at least a month each, while Hickey is out with concussion. Ladhams returns from a neck problem, while Stephens earns a recall after being dropped a few weeks ago. Young ruckman McAndrew will make his AFL debut after some good form in the reserves and will likely split his time between forward and ruck.

Kangaroos

IN: Aaron Hall, Callum Coleman-Jones, Eddie Ford, George Wardlaw, Tom Powell, Will Phillips

OUT: Aidan Corr (suspension), Cameron Zurhaar (injured), Curtis Taylor (omitted), Darcy Tucker (injured), Flynn Perez (injured), Jack Mahony (injured), Luke Davies-Uniacke (injured)

Brett Ratten also replaces Alastair Clarkson as head coach after the four-time premiership coach stepped away from the game due to the toll of the Hawthorn racism investigation.

It’s been a tough week for the Roos and they have been dealt a number of big blows with six forced outs. Davies-Uniacke is a big loss with the star midfielder struggling to stay on the park consistently after a blistering start to the season. Last year’s number 4 draft pick Wardlaw will make his AFL debut, with many tipping the 18-year-old for a bright future in the league.

Click here to see the complete team line-ups.

Season so far

Sydney 14^th – 97.7% | 775 points for | 793 points against | 3 wins & 6 losses | LLLLW

Sydney’s struggles continued with a disappointing loss to the Dockers at home last week.

They’ve had to deal with a number of injuries to key players, particularly to their backline, but they weren’t helped by their midfield getting smacked 20-9 in centre bounce clearances against Freo.

Errol Gulden has been their shining light and was brilliant with 39 touches and 2 goals against the Dockers, while Chad Warner also continued his strong season.

The Swans are playing like a team devoid of confidence right now and while finals seem like a pipe dream, they are a proud club who will be desperate to get back to winning ways.

North Melbourne 16^th – 62.9% | 584 points for | 928 points against | 2 wins & 7 losses | LLLLL

After a promising start under Alastair Clarkson, the Roos have lost seven straight games and look similar to the side that went 2-20 last year.

In North’s string of seven losses, three have been by 70 points or more and they have conceded scores of 152, 139 and 135.

They have now lost Clarko as head coach for the foreseeable future, but hopefully it’s something that can galvanise this young group.

However, the Roos simply must find a way to be more competitive and they now get the perfect chance against a team low on confidence.

Last 5 meetings and Marvel Stadium history

• 2022 round 21: Kangaroos 13.10 (88) lost to Swans 18.18 (126) at Marvel Stadium
• 2022 round 4: Swans 13.8 (86) defeated Kangaroos 12.3 (75) at SCG
• 2021 round 22: Kangaroos 12.5 (77) lost to Swans 13.13 (91) at Marvel Stadium
• 2020 round 3: Kangaroos 8.12 (60) lost to Swans 10.11 (71) at Marvel Stadium
• 2019 round 9: Kangaroos 10.12 (72) lost to Swans 11.11 (77) at Blundstone Arena

The Swans have dominated the Roos in recent times, winning the last six matches straight and nine of the last ten.

They met twice last year, with the Swans winning a close encounter at the SCG before a more comfortable win at Marvel later in the year.

Remarkably, the Kangaroos haven’t beaten the Swans at Marvel Stadium since 2007 when the ground was called the Telstra Dome. Sydney have won the last eight encounters there, while there was also a controversial draw in 2008.

Pre-match predictions

Seven straight: Swans to notch up their seventh straight win over the Roos. Swans by 13.

Laying down the Wardlaw: George Wardlaw to have an immediate impact in the AFL with 20 touches and a goal on debut.

Have any pre-match predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.